Too Little Too Late
by DPIH
Summary: Not set at any particular time in the show, Scotty finally realises something, he has feelings for his partner, the trouble is she starts dating someone. Will he tell her how he feels, or will he give up and try and let her be happy with someone else.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Not set at any particular time in the show, Scotty finally realises something, he has feelings for his partner, the trouble is she starts dating someone. Will he tell her how he feels, or will he give up and try and let her be happy with someone else.

Too Little Too Late

Chapter One:

Scotty and the gang were at Jones's celebrating another first Thursdays. Homicide detectives, past and present, gathered in Jones's bar to share stories, swap theories on current (or cold, in the case of our detectives) and generally have a good time. Stillman and Jefferies were talking to a couple of the retired detectives, Vera was playing darts with Miller (arguing as usual) and Lilly and Scotty sat together at the bar.

Lilly was simply exhausted, after another long, agonising week; she wasn't really looking forward to first Thursdays. Scotty had finally managed to convince her and now that she was here, she was kinda glad he twisted her arm.

Scotty was happy, happier than he'd been in a long time. He had job that he loved, good friends to share it with and for once he wasn't evolved in a messy, ill advised relationship. He and Lilly were discussing their recent case. A man was found shot in his car back in 94, his wife was a suspect because he was apparently having an affair. Turns out he was killed over a disagreement to do with the sale of his Bar. Scotty had been wrong about their doer and Lilly had enjoyed rubbing it in.

"I could have sworn up and down that the wife was our doer" He says and Lilly rolls her eyes at him.

"Just cause he was cheating on her doesn't mean she would kill him Scotty" She said for what seemed like the tenth time that day.

"Well you know what they say 'Hell have no fury like a woman scorned'" he says

"Bet you've had some firsthand experience with that Valens" Lilly said teasingly

"Ain't my fault women go crazy around me" he said cockily which made Lilly to double over with laughter, Scotty tried to defend himself, but the sight of his partner almost falling off the bar stool in fits of laughter caused him to join in and soon she was clutching at his arm for support. He couldn't think about anything else but how gorgeous she was when she was laughing. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks reddened, she looked radiant.

"What's so funny?" Vera asked as he came up to the bar and ordered a refill for both him and Kat from the bartender.

"Scotty and his giant ego" Lilly said as she sobered up, taking another sip of her beer, she stood up. "Excuse me a minute" She said as she walked over towards the bathroom.

Scotty sighed he watched her retreating back, zoning out everything and everyone around him expect for her. The way her hips moved from side to side as she walked, the way she causally brushed aside a lock of hair out of her eyes, the way...

His thoughts were derailed as the rough voice of Nick Vera broke through his trance like state "Oh god man you got it bad for her, don't you?" Vera asked placing his hand on his colleagues shoulder

"I don't know what your talkin' 'bout" Scotty said taking another sip of his scotch. Vera sniffed and shook his head

"Please the only one who doesn't know you like Lil is Lil"

"Sure I like her, she my partner and my best friend" Scotty replied defensively.

"No I was talkin' 'bout the other kind of like"

"You got too much time on your hands man, Lil and me, it ain't like that. Were just friends"

"Sure, whateva" Vera sighed and shook his head; he couldn't believe that Scotty was being this stupid. The rest of the squad had noticed over the past few years that something had changed between Scotty and Lilly. Scotty seemed to be more attentive to her, jumped in to volunteer himself for road trips with her, came up with excuses to touch her arm or her back whenever he handed her a file and always brought her a coffee and bagel every morning. To them, sure signs that Scotty had fallen hard for his partner.

Lilly, for all her detectives skills hadn't notice anything different it would appear, which led Vera and the others to suspect that her sleuthing skills were pretty much non-existent when it came to her personal life. He walked back over to Kat and handed her a beer, she took it gratefully and thanked him with a nod of her head.

"Still not admitting it" he announced

"He's in denial "She said "One of these days he'll realise how he feels 'bout her, just hope it ain't to late when he dose" they turned back to the dart board and continued their game.

Lilly came back over to Scotty and picked up her coat, putting some notes on the bar to pay her tab.

"Think I might go" Lilly said

"You want a lift?" he asked hopefully

"Sure" Scotty tossed back the rest of his scotch and followed his partner out the door.

Scotty pulled up at Lilly's apartment several minutes later and turned to face her. "Here you are door to door service" Lilly smiled.

"Thanks Scotty" She made to get out of the car "You wanna come in for some coffee or something?" she asked

"Okay" he said and they got out of his car and walked up the stairs to her apartment.

Once inside Lilly walked towards the kitchen and Scotty followed. He sat down at her small table while she busied herself pouring them both a cup of coffee. She handed him a mug and took a seat opposite him.

Scotty finally broke the silence "Hey Lil"

"Yeah"

"What are you doin' tomorrow night?" He asked

"Believe it or not I actually have a date" Lilly said

Scotty felt like someone had just ripped out his heart, she was dating someone, not again, he was too late again. "Really" Scotty replied trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Yeah" Lilly said

"So who's the lucky guy" he said as casually as he could manage

"His name is Rick, he works with Lindsay, you remember my friend from child services" She said "She kinda set us a couple of weeks ago and we hit it off" she said happily

"That's great Lil" Scotty said and he forced his face into a smile

"Yeah he seems like a nice guy" Lilly took another sip of her coffee "So what about you? Any prospects on the horizon?"

"Nah, not really" Scotty said

"No I find that hard to believe, Scotty Valens not dating, never thought I'd see the day you'd be single for any length of time" Lilly replied

"Guess I just have met the right girl"

Lilly smiled "You will, a guy as great as you won't be single forever" She said softly, she looked up at the clock and sighed. "It's getting late"

Scotty recognised his cue to leave and he stood up. "I'll see you at work tomorrow than" Lilly walked him to the front door and showed him out.

As her front door closed behind him he sighed heavily, he tried to swallow the lump in his throat and walked back to his car. She was seeing someone, goddamit. He wasn't looking forward to the next couple of weeks, it was always the same with Lilly. She'd start dating a guy and a few weeks in or in some cases like Joseph it was a few months, she'd freak out and they'd leave. He had always tried to be there for her, tried to tell her the next guy would be more deserving of her time and love but deep down he didn't believe it. He wanted her to realise he was the one that was always there for her, he was the one she turned to for help when she needed it. He wanted her to fall in love with him, as deeply as he had fallen for her, but he knew that was as likely to happen as him winning the lotto.

Lilly left earlier than usual the following night and made her way back to her apartment. Rick was going to pick her up at seven and he said he was taking her somewhere special. She looked through all the clothes in her closet; she had vetoed almost all the clothes in her wardrobe, finally she had settled on a black dress she had bought a few months back, she had spotted in the window of small boutique and she had tried it on. The assistant had said that it was the last on in the store and she was lucky that it fitted. After she showered and straightened her hair, she applied her usual minimal amount of make-up and walked into the living room to wait for Rick. Rick Maguire was gorgeous, that was for sure. He was tall, with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was one of the social worker in Lindsay's office; she had introduced them when Lilly had met her for drinks one night after work. Lilly was a little annoyed at first that she had been lured to the bar under false pretences but after she talked to Rick for a while, she found they had a lot in common.

He arrived right on time and she opened the door, standing back to let him in.

"Hey" he said softly

"Hi" Lilly replied

Rick's eyes travelled over her body and grinned "You look fantastic Lilly" he said and she blushed and returned his smile.

"You look pretty good to" she replied

"You ready to go?" he asked hopefully and she nodded and she led him out her townhouse and towards his car.

Rick, true to his word had managed (although Lilly had no idea how) to get reservation at one of the most popular restaurants in Philadelphia, La Rosa Rossa (the Red Rose). Lilly had driven by it almost every day and had always wanted to go; now she was getting her chance.

"Do I even want to know how you got reservations here?" she asked as the waiter showed them to their table.

"I just pulled a few strings is all" he said.

"Nothing Illegal I hope" Lilly replied

"Are you interrogating me Detective?" he asked and she giggled "The owner is a friend of mine, told him I wanted to impress a gorgeous woman and he offered me the best table in his restaurant" he said.

They ordered their dinner and continued to talk, Lilly was telling him about how she got started doing cold cases to begin with and to her delight he instantly understood why she did it, he shared the passion for his work with her, He told her about a few of the cases he had work, some of the children he had helped.

Lilly felt, for the first time in a long time that this relationship could really be something. She knew that she had, had more than her fair share of failures when it came to her personal life and this tome she was willing to give this a real shot.

They ate and laughed and even flirted a little and when they were walking up the stairs to her front door she didn't resist as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Lilly practically melted against him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Rick broke the kiss and brushed a hair away from her face "I was wondering if we could meet for breakfast" he said

"Well I have to get up early" Lilly replied softly

"Oh yeah right" she couldn't help but notice the disappointment in his voice, come on Rush give the poor guy a chance, she told herself and she grinned up at him.

"So if were gonna go to breakfast we'll have to set my alarm earlier so we don't sleep in" she said suggestively and Rick smiled back at her.

"Okay then"

Lilly opened her front door and pulled him inside, closing it behind them,

Scotty sat on his couch nursing a beer and staring at the picture in his hand. Lilly and him at Stillman's birthday party. God she looked so beautiful, she was smiling at the camera and Scotty had his arm around her shoulder. Sighing heavily, he replaced the photo on the coffee table and stood up.

Scotty wondered how Lilly was going on her date; he considered calling her, to make sure that she was okay. He took out his cell, his thumb hovering over the speed dial. He wished he could just hear her voice, she had this way of making him feel better, calmer, happier just simply saying his name.

Decision made he pushed the button and held it up to his ear, waiting for her to answer.

"Rush" her voice was slightly breathless

"Hey Lil" he said happily

"Oh, Scotty hey" she said

"How'd the date go?" he asked

"Fine, can you hang on a minute?" she asked

"Sure" he replied and he heard her muttering to someone on the other end of the line, she was with him, glancing at the clock it was almost midnight. If he was there it meant only one thing, you're an idiot Valens.

"Scotty, is there something wrong?" she asked

"Nah, I was just wanting to see how your date went" he replied.

"This may not be the best time Scotty, look I'll see you tomorrow" she said and before he could say anything she'd hung up. Scotty immediately felt sick, she was with him, in bed, he was so jealous and he hadn't even met the guy. He threw his phone onto the couch and started the process of pushing his furniture against the wall, taking out his skipping rope he started to jump and he didn't stop until his legs were numb.

A/N: let me know if you like this story and if I should continue it, btw if you are expecting a Scotty/Lilly story I wouldn't gets your hopes up, looks like Rick might stay awhile. I'll try an update soon, I am half way through second chapter I swear.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

The next morning Scotty woke up, earlier than usual and headed for the shower. His legs ached from the over exercise the previous night and he hoped he would still be able to walk by the afternoon. He drove over to Lilly's wanting to offer her a lift; he found a spot just outside her door and happily bounded up the stairs and knocked on her front door

The door opened and there stood Lilly's mystery man, wearing only boxers and a t-shirt. "Can I help you?" he asked, absently patting Olivia who was curled up in his arms.

Scotty stared blankly at the strangers, unable to find his voice. Clearing his throat he began "Oh yeah, Scotty Valens, I work with Lil, I thought I'd see if she needed a lift"

"Oh hi, I am Rick, come on in man. She's just in the shower" and he stuck out his hand which Scotty reluctantly shook. He followed him into Lilly's apartment and watched as he walked down the hall towards her bedroom. The last time he was in her apartment, Lilly's mother had just died and he'd stopped by to see if she was okay. He remembered seeing her on the couch her cheeks stained with tears and he longed even then to pull her into his arms and let her cry it out on his shoulder.

"Hey Scotty" Lilly said in surprise as she came down the hall "What are you doing here?" she asked as she slipped into her jacket and holstered her gun.

"I was wondering if you needed a lift" Scotty asked, she looked at her partner curiously and shook her head.

"No, I am fine, I am gonna have breakfast with Rick" She said

"Oh...right okay" Scotty began to back out of the apartment, Lilly followed him out.

"Are you okay Scotty?" she asked

"Yeah, fine" he said as he almost tripped over one of her cats "I'll see you at work" he said and he all but ran back down the stairs to his car.

Lilly watched her partner get into his car and drive away, slightly faster than usual and sighed. He probably just wasn't expecting me to have company, she told herself as she walked back inside.

* * *

Scotty was consequently the first to enter the precinct that morning; he immediately headed over to the coffee machine and deciding that an extra large coffee was in order, began to spoon the powder into the filter. "You're such an idiot" he whispered to himself, he figured when he had called her last night that Lilly had company, though he tried to tell himself that this Rick person, would be gone by morning but he had apparently stayed the night.

Scotty walked back to his desk and sat down; he stared at Lilly's vacant chair. He sighed again lowered his head onto his desk "God I am pathetic"

"Well I wasn't gonna say anythin" a voice came from across the room and his head snapped up, spotting Kat Miller. She noticed that her colleague wasn't his usual, cheerful self and she walked over to him.

"Are you okay Scotty?" she asked

"Course" he replied "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked

"Cause you look like someone run over your puppy" she said and he sighed heavily, there was no use denying it anymore he supposed.

"Lil had a date last night" he said

"Okay" Kat said and she sat on the edge of his desk "And why is that a bad thing?" she asked curiously, even though she knew the answer already.

"I don't know...I...just...lately I realised that" he sighed "I think I have feelings for her" Kat smiled, he had finally admitted what the others had expected, that Scotty Valens, the guy who acted like he had a black book the size of the yellow pages, was in love with his partner.

At that moment Lilly entered the department, Scotty spotted her putting her gun in her locker, brushing the loose strand of hair out of her eyes and walk into the squad room.

"Morning" she said cheerfully

"Hey Lil" Kat said "Coffee?" she asked getting of Scotty's desk.

"Yeah, thanks" Kat nodded and leaving Lilly and Scotty alone, walked towards the breakroom. Lilly shrugged out of her coat and draped it across the back of her chair. "Hey" she said softly.

"Hi" Scotty said, not daring to look up at her.

"Scotty, about this morning..." she began

"Forget 'bout it Lil, I have" he lied

"Okay" she sank down into her chair and pulled her paperwork towards her, staring the laborious process of filling in the mountains of paperwork. Kat placed her coffee on her desk and Lilly smiled her thanks, returning her gaze to the paperwork.

"So Lil, heard you had a date last night" Kat asked and Lilly nodded

"Yeah, I kinda been seeing this guy for a week, Lindsay introduced us" Lilly answered

"What's he like?"

"He seems like a nice guy, he's funny and good looking"

Kat and Lilly continued to talk about Lilly's date and Scotty tried desperately to block it out. The problem was she sounded so happy and although he was as jealous as hell that he wasn't the one she was gushing about, he was at least glad this guy didn't seem like the typical 'train wreck' type she was usually attracted too.

As the rest of the department began to file and begin their work day, Scotty looked out the window. The snow was just beginning to fall. He normally loved winter, it reminded him of snowball fights with Mike and his cousins as a kid and ice skating with Elisa, now all it made him think of was how alone he felt. Sighing heavily he stood up "I am gonna go get a bagel, I'll be back" he said and he walked out of the bullpen before Lilly could stop him.

As he made his way over to the coffee cart that was parked outside of the entrance to central he spotted Stillman, getting his morning coffee and Danish. "Morning Scotty" he said smiling

"Hey Boss" Scotty replied miserably

"You okay Scotty?" the older detective asked

"Yeah Boss, I am okay, just tired" he ordered his usual coffee and a bagel and cream cheese. After he paid the vendor the two of them walked back up to the squad room.

The day seemed to drag on and on Scotty couldn't stop watching the clock, he was praying for it to be five o' clock so he could go home already, maybe go visit his mother and scab a free home cooked meal. Maybe he'd ask her to make her risotto with mushrooms; it always made him feel better.

"Hey Scotty?" Vera asked comming over to his desk

"Yeah?" Scotty looked up at Vera and put down his pen

"Will and I were going to Jones's tonight, wanna tag along?" he looked around, making sure they were out of ear shot from the girls "I have it on good authority that there will be a lot of single women there, you might even stand a chance" he added.

That's an idea, he thought, go get good and drunk maybe hook up with some random girl. But on the other hand he wasn't really in the partying mood "Nah man, having dinner with my folks" he said.

"You're blowing off a chance at getting laid to have dinner with your parents" he asked incredulously, looking down at his younger friend.

"Ma's been hasslin' me for the last month and if I blow her off again I'll get another 'I spent fourteen hours in labour with and eleven pound baby' guilt trip" he answered. Vera shrugged and walked back to his desk.

"Your loss man"

Five o'clock finally came and Scotty stood up, not wanting to spend another minute looking across his desk at her.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow" he said and he left.

"Does anyone know what's wrong with him?" Lilly asked "He's been acting strange all day" The other three shared a look and Will cleared his throat.

"No idea" he replied

Lilly was just about to say something when her cell rang, glancing down she smiled as she recognised the number.

"Hey" she said flipping it open.

"Hey" came Rick's soothing voice "Was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight?"

"Sure" Lilly said and she stood up, waving goodbye to her colleagues and she headed towards the exit. "I'll meet you at my place around six" she said

"Okay" he replied and he said goodbye and hung up the phone, sighing contentedly Lilly opened her locker and slid her gun into her holster.

Across town Scotty knocked on his parents door, he could smell something good comming from inside and he as he heard the chains being taken off the door he plastered his 'everything's fine, so don't ask me what's wrong' smile and the door opened.

"Scotty, what are you doing here?" his mother asked in surprise.

"What a son can't come and visit his mother?" he asked and he forced his face into a wider smile.

"Of course" she said and he walked in and hugged her tightly. Rosa Valens was a sharp woman and she had knew when her son's weren't happy, despite his smile she knew that something was troubling her little boy. "Mi hijo are you okay?" she asked, pulling back and studying his face.

"Never better" he said softly.

She smiled up at him and planted a kiss on his cheek "You gonna stay for dinner?" she asked, knowing the answer already.

"Thought I might" he replied, taking off his coat he hung it up on the hook by the door.

"Good, your father should be home soon, you can help me in the kitchen and we can talk" Scotty followed his mother into the small kitchen and took a seat on the stool next to the kitchen counter.

"Ma, can I ask you somethin?"

"Yes Mi hijo" she said as she washed her hands.

"How did you know dad was the one you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?" he asked and his mother turned to him, her grin widening.

"I knew he was the one the moment I met him" she said "He was so handsome and romantic I fell for him instantly" she added dreamily

"What would you have done if Dad was with someone else when you met him?" he asked

"Scotty is there something wrong?" she asked but Scotty shook his head.

"Nah Ma, I told you I am fine" he said "Just curious" his mother sighed.

They heard the front door open and Scotty watched as his mother's face lit up. Ramiro Valens walked into the kitchen and made a bee line for his wife.

"Hola mi bella esposa" he whispered kissing her cheek, Rosa blushed and turned to face him.

"Hola mi marido guapo" she replied, kissing him back.

Scotty smiled at his parents as his father turned to face him "How are you Scotty?" he asked hugging his son.

"I am okay dad" he answered and his father gave him the same disbelieving look as his mother had.

Scotty helped his mother in the kitchen and chatted with his father about what was happing at work, making sure he avoided the whole 'I am in love with my partner but she is dating someone else' issue but they knew something was wrong with their youngest son, something that seemed to be making as unhappy as he was when Elisa had first gotten sick. Ramiro knew his son was not the type to voice his feelings because he was the same way, as was his father before him.

"Valens's men don't complain, Valens's men don't unload their burdens on others" Ramiro's father had told him and he in turn had past this on to his two sons. Even as a child Scotty had never showed much emotion and the terrible things that happened to Mike, Madre di dios, this one lesson was one of the biggest regrets of Ramiro's life.

As He walked his son to his car that night he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder."Good night Scotty" he said

"Night Dad" Scotty replied and he opened the door sliding behind the wheel "You know Scotty" he began leaning through the window of the car "It's alright to talk about what's bothering you, your mother and I worry about you" Scotty nodded.

"I know dad, but like I said there is nothing wrong" he watched as his stubborn son pulled out of his driveway (fast as usual) and sighed, turning to walk back inside.

a/n: be honest, what do you think please leave a review.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

After another wonderful date with Rick, Lilly walked into the squad room, fully prepared to take on the day. Scotty was already at his desk, a box open on his desk and he was perusing the file.

"Hey" Lilly said holding a cup of coffee out to Scotty; he took it looking curiously up at her.

"What's this?" he asked; his heart raced as their fingers touched.

"And I thought they made you a detective" Lilly teased "I thought I'd bring you a coffee"

He chuckled and took a sip, just the right balance of coffee sugar with a hint of nutmeg, perfect, just like her.

"Thanks" he said

"So we got a case?" she asked picking out a file from the box and flipping it open.

"Yeah, Missing persons got a tip last night about a cold case; CSU went to location and found some bones, Vic was shot, dental records ID him as Adam Kerrigan went missing two years ago" he replied "Was just about to go and talk to the family, you want to come?" he asked

"Sure" Lilly picked up her jacket and Scotty followed.

They made their way down to the parking garage and got into his car, Scotty turned up the heat to combat the cold.

"It's freezing out this morning" Lilly said looking out the window at the streets blanketed with a soft layer of fresh snow. Scotty looked down at her bare hands and chuckled "Maybe you shoulda worn gloves" he suggested.

"I left them at Rick's" Lilly said "Thought I had em when I left this morning but I didn't"

"Oh" was all Scotty could manage to say, if she'd left her gloves at his place, she'd obviously spent the night.

"Actually, was hoping we could swing by his apartment, I am worried if I have to draw my weapon it'll freeze to my hand" he chuckled uncomfortably and cleared his throat.

"Sure, we have some time"

Lilly gave him directions and Scotty drove, still fast despite the snow and they soon reached his apartment.

"I'll be right back" she said and he plastered his fake smile again as she ducked out of the car and ran up his steps. He watched as she knocked on the door and he answered, he wished he could hear what they were saying as she leaned in. He handed her here gloves and kissed her quickly, he watched as she blushed and kissed him back. Lilly turned back to face the street and Rick waved at Scotty which he returned uncomfortably. After another kiss on the cheek, Lilly was running back to the car, slipping into her gloves.

"Thanks Scotty" Lilly said "Much better"

"No problem Lil, what are partners for"

They drove the rest of the way in silence, Scotty trying to focus on the case, with increasing difficulty.

* * *

"Can I help you?" elderly woman asked looking slightly confused the two detectives standing at her front door.

"Mrs Kerrigan?" Scotty asked

"Yes" she answered

"Detectives Valens and Rush" he said indicating Lilly with a small gesture and holding up his badge "Philly homicide, can we come in?" he asked

"Homicide? Her eyes widened in shock. "What happened?"

"Please Mrs Kerrigan can we discuss this inside?" Lilly asked again, worrying if they told this woman they found her son's body the previous night she might collapse.

"Oh yes of course" she lead the two detectives down the hall and showed them into her small kitchen. "Please take a seat" she pointed to the small seats surrounding the table "Can I get you two a cup of coffee?" she asked

"No thankyou Mrs Kerrigan, we want to talk to you about Adam" Lilly began softly, she really hated this part of her job.

She inhaled sharply and sank down into the chair opposite them "You found my baby?" she asked

"I am sorry Mrs Kerrigan, we found him this morning" Scotty voice filled with compassion

"What...how...where did you find him?" The poor old lady looked across at Lilly

"They found him in an abandoned house in Kensington" she replied

"Did your son have any enemies?" Scotty asked "Anyone who he had a beef with?"

"No, Adam was a sweet boy" she said as tears filled her eyes "Everyone loved him"

"In the days before he disappeared did his behaviour change? Or was there anyone knew in his life?" Scotty asked.

"Well know that you mention it, he was acting different the last few weeks, and he asked to borrow money from me" she answered looking up hopefully

"Was that usual?" Lilly asked

"No he had a good job, he took such good care of me, he was so careful with his money"

"Did he have a girlfriend?" Scotty asked

Mrs Kerrigan sighed and shook her head "Detective, my son was gay"

Scotty shifted uncomfortably in his seat "Oh...well did he have a...boyfriend?"

"Yes, Mark Copeland, he is a corporate attorney with Bryce and Gordon" she says "I still have his number if you want?" she stood up and walked over to the notice board by the phone "Adam gave me it in case I wanted to contact him, I still see him every Sunday he comes over for dinner, just like they did when Adam was..." she handed the number to Lilly.

"Can you tell him that I am sorry" she said softly "He is such a nice young man, he really loved my Adam"

"We'll be in touch Mrs Kerrigan" Scotty said and they showed themselves out.

* * *

They arrived at the offices of Bryce and Gordon that afternoon and waited in the reception area for Mark. His secretary had told them that he was on a call and would be with them soon, Scotty choose to sit on the couch my the window and Lilly sat beside him, he stared down at his notes, when he knee came in contact with his he felt his heart beat harder and it felt like his skin was burning from the slight contact.

"Detectives?" Mark walked over to them and held out his hand, they shook hands and he showed them into his office. "Please take a seat, what can I do for you?" he asked

"Mr Copland, there is no easy way to tell you this, we found Adam's body this morning. I am afraid that it looks like he was murdered"

The entire colour drained from his face and he sank down on his desk "Oh my god" he said voice was barely above a whisper "What...what happened to him?" he asked.

"It appears he was shot" Scotty said "Did he have any enemies?"

"No, not really"

"What do you mean not really?" Scotty asked

"It's probably nothing, I don't wanna waste your time running down dead end leads" he said

"Mr Copeland..."

"Please call me Mark"

"Mark, anything you can tell us would help" Lilly took a step towards him.

"A week before he went missing, we were at a nightclub and he had a run in with Simon Johnson, accused Adam of stealing from him...which is a total lie, Adam wouldn't do anything like that" Mark got off his desk and walked over to the window.

"Do you have a number for this Simon Johnson?" Scotty asked his pen poised above his pad, waiting to write.

"No, but he hangs out at the Rampol, it's a gay bar in centre city"

Scotty and Lilly turned to go "Detectives"

Lilly turned around to face him "I want you to catch the guy that did this to Adam" he said

"I promise you we are going to do everything we can to bring his killer to justice" Lilly replied and they exited his office.

* * *

Back in the squad room Lilly and Scotty filled in the others about what they had found out from Adams partner and mother.

"Miller you and Valens go check out this guys story, Rush and Jefferies I want you to go talk to missing persons see where the tip came from" Stillman said and they filed out, leaving Vera to look in to Adam's background.

"So, how you doing?" Kat asked as they slipped into his car

"Me I am totally fine" he said and he put the key in the ignition.

"Really?" Kat asked and Scotty rolled his eyes

"Can you just drop it" he snapped "I just want to forget 'bout it"

"So you aren't gonna tell her how you feel about her?" Kat asked

Scotty pulled the car back out into the street and headed for centre city "No, I ain't, so just drop it" Kat took the hint and remained silent, hoping that her colleague would eventually come to his senses.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up outside their destination and got out. Scotty took a deep breath and walked towards the front door.

"This case gonna make you uneasy?" Kat asked

"Nah, let's just get this over with" he pushed open the door and they walked towards the door.

"Can I help you?" a skinny man behind the bar asked

"Detectives Valens and Miller Philly PD" Scotty said flashing his badge

"Hey I don't know what you've heard about this place but it ain't a brothel" the man snapped defensively.

"We ain't vice; we're homicide we want to talk to a Simon Johnson about the disappearance and murder of Adam Kerrigan" Kat replied

"Adam's dead" the man said putting the towel he was holding on the bar "Oh my god" he sank down on the stool.

"Sir, we need to talk to Simon Johnson" Scotty said again

"You are" he said "I am Simon"

"We have a witness that says you fought with Adam the day before he went missing" Kat began "You wanna fill us in?"

"That was two years ago detective"

"Do you remember what it was about?" Scotty asked

"He borrowed money off me, said he was gonna return it, never did"

"Did he say what the money was for?" Scotty asked

"No, he didn't say and I didn't ask, I lent it to him because he was an old friend"

"We have a witness that says you accused him of stealing from you"

"I did say that, he hadn't paid me back and I told him that if he didn't pay me back I was gonna call my lawyer, but that was it I wouldn't of hurt him, the guy was like a brother to me"

"When was the last time you saw him?" Kat asked

"The day he disappeared, he came to me and told me that he needed one more day and that he'd pay me the money back, the next morning he was gone. Mark told me that his mother had reported him missing two weeks later, thats all I know"

* * *

Across town, Lilly and Jefferies were walking into the west police department's missing persons unit.

"We are Detectives Jefferies and Rush from homicide, we wanted to talk to an Officer Connors about a tip he received last night" Will said

"Down the hall, third desk on the left" the man at the enquiries desk said without looking up. Lilly and Will exchanged a look and made their way to Connors's desk. The younger detective looked up as they approached and his eyes fell on Lilly, smiling slightly he stood up "Can I help you...?"

"Detective Rush, and this is Detective Jefferies were are from homicide we wanted to ask about the tip on the missing person you got last night"

"Oh right, sure what did you wanna know?" he asked

"Did the informant leave a name?" Jefferies asked

"No, says he wanted to remain anonymous"

"What did he say exactly?" Lilly asked

"I got the transcripts from the tip line here" he said and he shuffled through some papers on his desk, finally pulling a single piece from the bottom of a stack. "Here" he held it out to Lilly, his eyes still looking anywhere but her eyes.

Lilly snatched the paper out of his hands "Who was the last owner of the house that he was found in?" Jefferies asked

"Err that was a..." he searched through a few more of his papers "Yes here it is the previous owner was a Mark Copeland" Lilly looked at Jefferies; they had to speak to Mark again. They started to walk towards the exit.

"Wait detective Rush" Lilly turned back around

"Yes"

"Maybe you should give me your number, you know in case I remember anything" he said

Lilly smirked and turned to leave "If you think of anything you can call my lieutenant" and she and Jefferies left.

A/N: what do you guys think, review please. The more reviews the faster I write. Okay now it sounds like I am begging, I am not begging but since your already at the bottom of the page...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Lilly and Scotty walked into the interview room and Mark looked up "Did you find something out about Adam?" he asked

"Yeah we spoke to Simon" Scotty said "He said that he lent Adam money the day before he disappeared"

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, we also found out that the house we found Adam in belonged to you" Lilly said

"What? What house?"

"The house you bought in Kensington" Mark looked over at Lilly and sighed.

"I bought that house, for Adam and me to live in. When he went missing I couldn't...go back there and I didn't have the heart to sell it so I just left it" he put his elbows up on the table and buried his face in his hands.

"You honestly are tellin us that he didn't tell you why he was borrowin money from everyone?" Scotty asked

"No" he said

"Did he tell you why he needed the money?" Lilly asked

"No" Mark looked across at her, his eyes filling with tears "I didn't ask either"

"Do you know of any other person he woulda told?" Scotty walked behind him.

"The only person I can think of would have been Kelly Grayson, she went to school with us, she and Adam dated...well before he came out, and she was the only other person that didn't leave him when he came out. They told each other everything"

"Where is she now?" Lilly asked

"We lost contact after Adam disappeared; last I heard she was Vet in German town"

* * *

Vera walked over as Lilly and Scotty came out of interrogation, he looked happy.

"Just got the bank records back, seems he was in serious financial problems, his accounts were emptied two weeks before he disappeared"

"Anything else?"

"There were regular outgoings every Saturday night, no incomings"

"No wonder he needed the money the guy was broke"

"Did the boyfriend know why he needed the money?" Jefferies asked

"No, he didn't know, gave us a name of an old school friend, she might know" as the day dragged on they checked out Mark story, he bought the house legitimately the fall of that year. The coroner report came back estimated the death a few months after he went missing, Mark was out of Philadelphia at the time so he wasn't their doer either.

They we about to go grab some Dinner when Lilly spotted Rick enter the Department. She walked over to him and Scotty saw his hand caressing her arm. Lilly lead him over the rest of the gang.

"Guys this is Rick, Rick this is Will Jefferies" Will stood up and shook his hand

"Nick Vera and Kat Miller" she introduced them and they in turn shook his hand "And this is Lieutenant John Stillman" The older detective smiled as he shook Rick's hand, he looked like a decent guy and Lord knows she needed happiness.

"And you know my partner Scotty" she added

"Yeah sure, how you doing man?" he asked

"Great" Scotty said

"I was just comming to see if you wanted to get some Dinner?" Rick asked and Lilly looked around at the others

"We really are kinda swamped here" she said

"Its fine Lil, go we can handle things here" Stillman said.

"You sure Boss?" she asked

"Yeah, go. See you tomorrow" Stillman added

"Okay, let me just grab my coat" she said and she and Rick walked over to the coat rack. Scotty grinded his teeth and the other notice him clenching the file in his fists.

Vera cleared his throat and Scotty turned to face him. "Come on man, we'll go check out this Kelly, see what she's got to say" Scotty nodded distractedly and followed him out of the department.

* * *

As soon as Vera had closed the door of the car he turned around to face his younger colleague

"That Rick guy seemed nice" he said and he watched as Scotty gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turned white. "Lilly seems happy" he added.

"Can we not talk about this" he asked as he turned on the ignition and backed out if the car space.

"Hey it ain't my fault that you missed your chance" Vera said

"I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout" Scotty drove out into the lightly falling snow.

"Come on man, we all know how you feel 'bout Lil" he said calmly and Scotty sighed loudly.

"Okay, so I have feelings for her. They'll go away, just need time"

"Scotty I know it's gotta be hard; to watch the one you love with someone else"

"I said I am fine" he snapped

"Look Scotty, I want you to be happy, so does everyone else but Lil deserves to be happy too and whatever this Rick guy is, he seems like a decent guy"

His silence told Vera that there was no point pushing the subject anymore, Scotty wasn't willing to discuss the matter further. They pulled up at their destination and got out of the car, Scotty walked straight towards the small glass door and pushed it open, Vera close behind him.

They approached the receptionist and flashed their badges "We're detectives Valens and Vera, Philly PD we are looking For Kelly Grayson"

"Oh she's in with a patient at the moment" the young girl said "Take a seat I'll get her" They sank down in the little plastic chairs and waited.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" A woman in a white lab coat approached them.

"Kelly Grayson?" Scotty asked

"Yes, what's this about?"

"Is there somewhere we can talk?" Vera asked

She nodded and they followed her into her office and offered the seats in front of her desk "So what's this about?" she asked taking a seat

"We found the remains of Adam Kerrigan last night" Scotty said and they saw her eyes widen in shock.

"Oh my god" her hand began to shake as raised it to her eyes "What happened to him?"

"It appears he was shot, in a house in Kensington" Vera said

"Oh god" she whispered

"Did you know of he had any enemies?" Scotty asked

Kelly sighed heavily "I knew that he was in trouble, I knew that he had to borrow money from me" She said.

"Did he tell you why?" Vera asked

"He told me that he owed the wrong people money" she said "He had a gambling problem" she stood up and walked over to the pictures on the wall "I lent him the money" she said

"How much did he owe?" Scotty asked

"Twenty-five thousand" she said

"And you just lent him that"

"I lent him ten thousand, he said he was gonna get the rest from Mark"

"Mark knew about his gambling?"

"No, I don't think he did"

"Did you know who he owed?"

"He said someone called Simon, said he was his bookie" She said "I am sorry never got a last name"

"Thank you for your time" Vera and Scotty stood up and left her office, heading back to the precinct.

"I say we go pick up this Simon guy, right now" Scotty said as they walked back to the car

Vera looked at his watch "It's almost eight we should leave it till morning"

"Fine" Scotty opened the car door and sank into the driver's seat "Wanna go get that drink" he asked.

"Okay, I'll call Will and Boss see if they wanna come too" Vera took out his phone as Scotty drove towards Jones'. He was in the mood to get good and drunk, maybe get so drunk he'd forget about Lilly, forget about the burning ache of jealousy every time he saw her with him, forget about the overwhelming desire he had to take her in his arms and kiss her every time they were alone. That was going to require a large quantity of alcohol, but Scotty didn't care, he wouldn't stop drinking until he was numb.

* * *

He couldn't remember much, he vaguely remembered Vera and Jefferies dragging him up the stairs to his apartment. The rest of the evening was a blur and he woke up the next morning with a massive hangover and as he stumbled into the bathroom and caught sight of himself in the mirror he groaned.

"You look like hell Valens" he said, poking at the bags under his eyes. He reached over and turned on the shower, he wished the earth would open up and swallow him.

He arrived at the department, wearing sunglasses and carrying the largest coffee he could find.

"Late night" came a familiar voice behind him and he turned around to see Lilly, walking in behind him she had a paper bag in her hand.

"I bought you a bagel" she said holding out the bag to him. He reached out and took it, his fingers brushed hers and she smiled. "It's not that bright in here you know?" she says teasingly and she leaned over to take off his sunglasses. Scotty squinted under the unforgiving harshness of the lights, his headache comming back in full force.

"You look like crap" she said

"Thanks" he said

"You're welcome" she replied and walked over to her desk.

As the morning progressed, Scotty tried to kept his head from exploding all over his desk, Vera and Jefferies weren't making it easier, they kept 'accidently' dropping things on his desk, of banging their chairs into their desk , he was glad when He and Lilly left to pick up Simon to have another chat with him.

"Maybe I should drive" Lilly said and Scotty handed her the keys.

"Are you alright Scotty?" she asked as they got into the car.

"Fine" he said "Just had to much too drink last night is all" he replied

"Looks like you drank the whole damm bar" she teased

"Feels like I drank the whole damm bar" he replied, replacing his sunglasses and taking a swig out of the second cup of coffee that morning.

* * *

They picked up Simon and brought him back to the precinct, he waited in the interrogation room and they watched him through the one way mirror.

"You going in Lil?" Stillman asked

"Yep, this guy knows more than he is letting on Boss" she said and he nodded.

"You ready Lil?" Scotty asked, sticking his head in the room and she nodded.

"Yeah"

They walked into the room and Simon looked up "What's going on here?"

"You didn't mention you little bookmakin scheme to us Simon"

"What are you talkin about? I told you about Adam borrowing money from me" he cried defensively

"You didn't mention the 25k, that he was in debt up to his eyeballs, you didn't mention that you were his bookie" Lilly said and she leant across the table, looking him in the eyes.

"Okay so I didn't tell you that he owed that much so what?"

"Cause when you hid little things like that it makes us think that you are hiding something bigger" Scotty said walking behind him and leaning against the table.

"He disappeared, he still owed me money, he came back a month later, said he wanted to pay me back and I was to meet him at a house in Kensington"

"So you went to the house to meet up with him, then what?"

"He met me at this house he said his boyfriend bought for him, said that he had the money, but he wouldn't hand it over. Now I was in trouble, I told my backer that I would give him the money if I came back empty handed, I would be the one that would be dead"

"So you took out your gun and you shot him"

"No I..."

"He pissed you off, he took money from you and he didn't pay you back, you were putting your ass on the line for this guy"

"I...I..."

"So you wanted to teach him a lesson"

"Yeah, okay that bastard deserved it he didn't realise what he was doing, who he was dealing with"

"So you showed him" Scotty leaned over him from one side and Lilly sat beside him on the other

""You took out your gun and shot him"

"Okay fine I shot him, I had to or I would be dead" he snapped

Scotty pulled out the legal pad and wrote down his confession and when he signed it, Lilly handcuffed him and dragged him out of the department.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Three months and another first Thursdays had come around; to Scotty's chagrin Lilly and Rick were still together. He had tried to hate the guy, hate the guy that was sleeping with the woman he loved but the trouble was he was just so...nice. The kind of guy it was hard to hate, Rick knew as much about cars as he did and was obsessed with the Eagles, the guy even had season tickets and offered to take Scotty to a few games.

He sat at the bar and watched Lilly dancing with Rick and didn't notice that Stillman sitting down next to him, he jumped when he spoke.

"She looks happy" he said

Scotty turned around and faced him "Yeah, she does"

"Bout time she found someone who makes her happy" he added

"Yeah" Scotty turned back to his scotch and took another hit.

At that moment the happy couple came back over to the bar, Rick had his arm around her waist, hugging her to his side.

"We're gonna take off" Lilly said

"See you tomorrow Lil" Stillman replied

"Yeah, night Boss, night Scotty"

Scotty smiled slightly and looked into those gorgeous blue eyes of his partner "Night Lil" She smiled back at him and his heart flipped.

He watched her walk out of the bar, her fingers intertwined with his and he knew at that moment he would give anything, even his badge if he could trade places with Rick, if only for just one night.

* * *

Scotty was at the coffee cart the next morning earlier than usual, he wanted to able to have just a few minutes at his desk before he had to face another day, with her but without her at the same time. He was just selecting a pastry from the array of others when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, you buying?" the voice asked

His breath caught in his throat and he whipped around and saw Lilly, she was wearing her hair down and had on that dark blue blouse that did wonders for her slim figure and sapphire eyes, holly mother of god she looked amazing.

"Oh hey" he said smiling at her and trying not to make it look obvious that he was checking her out.

"Hey, so are you gonna buy me a coffee or not?" she asked teasingly

"Sure I'll buy you a coffee, even though it's your turn" he said and she chuckled as he turned back to vendor and gave him Lilly's coffee order.

They walked up to the department together, bantering and joking around and when they entered the squad room and walked over to their desks they were still laughing.

"Morning" Kat said as she walked out of the breakroom

"Morning" they replied together as they sat down at their desks

They looked up as Vera and Jefferies entered the squad room, Vera took off his jacket and draped it on the back of his chair.

"Seems like only yesterday that it was winter and now it's like sauna out there" he grumbled

"I like spring" Lilly said happily not looking up from her paperwork and her colleagues exchanged looks; they hadn't seen Lilly this happy. They were all caught up in just watching her that they didn't see the little old man approaching them.

"Excuse me" they all turned around at once "I heard that you are the detectives to see about old murders" he said

"Yes, that would be us" Lilly stood up and walked around to him "I am Detective Rush and this is my partner Detective Valens" Scotty also stood up and shook the old man's hand.

"I am Ernest Yates" he said "But you young lady can call me Ernie" Lilly smile and she led him over to the conference room.

"Can I get you a coffee Ernie?" Lilly asked

"No thanks, I want to get this over with" he eased himself down a chair and pulled out a notebook.

"What can we do for you Ernie?" she asked taking the seat opposite him.

"I wanted you to look into the death of my daughter" he replied "They said she committed suicide five years ago" he said

"Ernie you know we investigate murders, not suicides right?" Scotty asked

"I know that but I think the police made a mistake, Gloria wouldn't have killed herself" he said looking up at the young man standing behind Lilly.

"You have anything to support that claim?" Scotty asked

Ernie looked back down at Lilly and smiled "He's pretty impatient isn't he?" Lilly chuckled lightly.

"What do you have Ernie?" Lilly asked

"I was clearing out her room, I am moving into a retirement village I found her diary" He handed it to her. "The day before she died I found this entry in the diary" he pointed to the small notebook and Lilly flipped it open at the page that was marked and read

**_I am really worried about James, I broke it off with him but he seems possessive. I told him that I was in love with someone else but he said if he couldn't have me no one could. _**

"Do you know who this James was?" Lilly asked

"He was her high school sweet heart" he said "I knew there was something not right about the guy, he never let her outta his sight when they were together but back then I just thought it was love, but now after seeing this..."

"You don't think he woulda let her go without a fight" Scotty finished his sentence.

"Exactly"

"We can take a look into it for you, but I can't promise anything" Lilly said

"That's all I ask, I just don't think it was suicide, we're Christians, and it's a mortal sin"

Lilly handed him her card and they walked him to the exit, afterwards heading down to the storage room to find the case file.

* * *

"Here it is" Lilly said grabbing the file out of the cabinet "Gloria Yates, found dead in her bedroom, August 96, supposedly slit her wrists" she said handing the brown folder to Scotty.

"Says here the person that found her was Ernie, report says he entered her room and saw her call the paramedics but it was too late"

Lilly looked at the crime scene photos and frowned slightly "There is something off about these photos" she said and she handed it across to Scotty "Where is all the blood, I mean if she bled out the sheets are to clean" Scotty looked at the photo in his hand and frown.

"So maybe she did her bleedin' somewhere else" He said

"Worth looking into" Lilly said and she and Scotty walked back up to the squad room.

Stillman looked at the file in his hand and then up Lilly "This is pretty thin Lil" he said

"Come on Boss, we looked at cases with far less to go on, at least let us talk to the boyfriend"

He sighed, he knew that she would do it anyway, with or without his permission so he merely nodded and she took the file back from his hands.

"Come on Scotty, let's go talk to this James character" Lilly said and Scotty followed his partner out of the department.

* * *

Lilly looked across at her partner as they drove over to see Gloria's boyfriend James, she had noticed over the last few months how strange he been acting and she finally figured out why he was acting so strange.

She he looked across at her and she giggled "What?" he asked her curiously

"Nothing" she said cryptically "Just I figured out something"

"Figured out what?" he asked

"Figured out why you've been acting so weird these last few months"

Scotty's breath still caught in his throat and his heart race increased, oh god, he thought he been careful, he thought he wasn't being obvious.

"What are you talkin' 'bout?" he asked trying not to panic.

"Come one, you've been acting strange, skipping out early, not comming to first Thursdays. Did you think I wouldn't have figured it out?" she asked

Scotty could have sworn she would hear his heart slamming against his ribs and his mouth went dry. "So who is she?" Lilly asked

"What?" he asked

"The girl you're seeing?" she asked

Scotty felt relief washing over him, so she didn't know, phew. But at the same time he couldn't help but feel sad that she still couldn't tell that the girl he was drooling over was sitting right beside him.

"Oh, yeah" he said

"So who is she? Do I know her?"

Scotty realised this was his opportunity to tell Lil how he felt about her, albeit he'd would be talking about this fictional woman. "She's great" he said and she smiled at him "She's gorgeous, funny, brilliant, sexy and just about the most amazin' woman I've ever met" he replied honestly.

"That's great Scotty, I am glad you've found someone" she reached and touched his shoulder.

But just as quick it was gone, he felt like a weight had been lifted of his shoulders, he'd finally said how he felt about her. Granted she thought he was talking about someone else, but still it was a start.

* * *

They arrived later at James apartment and knock on the door He answered, looking at the two detectives standing at his front door.

"What?" he asked

"Detectives Valens and Rush, Philly PD, we want to ask you some questions about Gloria Yates" Scotty said as he slipped his badge back into his waistband.

"That bitch killed herself, why you botherin' me?"

"We just have a few loose ends to tie up" Lilly said and James reluctantly let them into his apartment.

"What do you wanna know?" he asked sitting down on the couch as Lilly and Scotty sat opposite him.

"Did she seem depressed in the last few days before she died?" Lilly asked

"I suppose see I just broke up with her so you can see why she'd be all depressed" he said smugly

"We heard she's the one who ended wit you" Scotty said

The smug smile was wiped from his face and he shrugged "Okay so it was a mutual thing"

"We also heard you were a little possessive, she broke it off with you for someone else"

"Yeah so"

"So we think that maybe you didn't like that" Lilly said

"Maybe snapped out one night, showed her she was your girl" Scotty added

"Okay, I may of hit her but I didn't kill her, she toped herself" he said

"Where were you on the night she supposably killed herself?" Scotty asked

"I went for a walk" he said

"Is there anyone that can confirm that?" Lilly asked

"No, I was alone" he said

"What about the guy that she dumped you for, did she tell you his name?" Scotty asked

"Yeah said his name was David"

"Do you know a last name?"

"Sure do, bastard was my best friend, David Langdon" he spat

* * *

That night Lilly and Rick went out for another romantic dinner; he told her that he had something to tell her, something that he wanted to ask her about.

Her mind was racing, she knew what was about to happen, he was about to dump her. He was about to end it between them, just like all the others had. She wondered what reason he'd give her.

With Patrick, he'd chosen Christina, with Kite it was her job. Joseph had left because of Ray and Ray left because she asked him too. What would be Rick's reason?

She was shown over to their table where he greeted her with a kiss and held out her chair for her.

"You look great" he said as he sat.

"Thanks" she replied

"I suppose you are wondering why I asked you to meet me here."

"Well you were kinda cryptic on the phone" Lilly said trying desperately to keep calm.

"I wanted to tell you something" he said "We've been together for a few months now and it's been best time of my life" he said reaching over to take her hand "I wanted to tell you" she swallowed here it comes "I love you Lil"

Hang on second did he just say...he did he just told her he loves her. She didn't know what to say. He looked across at her smiling and she felt her heart warming, he wasn't leaving her he was in love with her. "Really?" she asked

"Yeah, I do"

Lilly placed he free hand on top of his "I love you to" she replied and he leant over, pressing his lips on hers.

"There is something else that I wanted to ask you" he said breaking the kiss.

"What?" she asked

"I wanted to ask you to move in with me"

She stared across at him, No one had ever asked her that, with Patrick, well he just moved himself in, never really discussed it but, here was Rick sitting across from her asking her to move in with him.

"Wow" she whispered

"Yeah, wow" he replied

"Can I have time to think about it?" she asked

"Sure" he said "Take all the time you need Lil, I'll wait" he said

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, she told him all about their current case and he was telling her about some of the cases he was overseeing.

He dropped her off later that night and she told him that she needed some time to think about what he'd asked her. So he kissed her cheek and told her he'd talk to her later.

Lilly sat on her couch, wondering what she was gonna tell him, she needed some advise and she knew who she needed to ask, grabbing her coat she went back out into the night.

* * *

Scotty was just about to go to sleep when he heard a knocking on his front door. Climbing back out of bed he walked to the front door and opened it.

"Lil" she was standing in his doorway, holding a six pack of beer in her hand

"Hey" she said "I needed to talk to someone, can I come in?"

"Sure, come in" he stood back and let her into his apartment "What's up?" he asked as she sat down on his couch.

"Rick asked me something" she said

"Whatda he ask you?"

"He wants me to move in with him" she said

Scotty could have sworn his heart stopped, this wasn't just a fling, they were serious.

"What did you say?"

"I told him I needed time to think" she said "I actually came here to ask your advice"

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, hey I am not interrupting anything am I? I mean, your girlfriend's not here is she" Lilly looked around his living room as she was about to see this mystery woman walking out of his bedroom.

"Nah, just me" Scotty said taking a seat on his coffee table

"Oh good" Lilly turned back around to face him "So what do you think I should do?" she asked

A/n: Cliff hanger lol, please review.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Scotty couldn't believe what he was hearing; she was actually asking him relationship advice. This could go one of two ways, one he could tell her not to move in with Rick, which most likely end their relationship or two he could tell her that she should go for it, seize her chance at happiness before it was too late.

He knew what his heart was pleading with him to do, and what his brain was screaming at him to do. He also knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he caused her anymore pain. He took out a couple of beers from the six pack and cracked them open, handing her one. Lilly thanked him and took a sip.

He finally found his voice "You love him?" He asked, not really sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"Yes" she replied looking down at her clasped hands in her lap.

Scotty's face fell, he felt like someone had pieced his heart, a lump was growing in his throat, he realised in that moment, that he and Lil, they would never be anything more than friends and Partners. The sooner he accepted that, the sooner he could get over her and move on with his life.

Swallowing the lump in his throat "Than you should go for it Lil" he replied "If you love him, than you should take a chance"

"You really think so?" she asked raising her head to meet his eyes. God she looked beautiful, it took all his control not grab her and throw her down on the couch.

"Yeah, I do" He looked down at his hands, because he couldn't look into those eyes anymore "I know if you give up on your chance at happiness Lil, if you give up your chance at love because you're scared, you'll regret it"

"Thanks Scotty" She sighed. They sat in silence a little longer, occasionally taking sips from their beers. Eventually Lilly looked up at the clock and sighed "I should go, it's getting late" she stood up and walked over to the door. Clearing his throat, Scotty followed her and opened the door for her. "I'll see you tomorrow?" she said and he nodded, Lilly walked through the door and turned around. "Thanks again Scotty" She said and she leant forward and kissed his cheek "You're a good friend" she smiled at him again and walked down the hallway and down the stairs.

He closed the door and sank back against the wood, softly banging his head against the wood. He knew he had down the right thing but it still hurt. That kiss on his cheek, invaded his senses. He knew she meant it only as a friendly gesture that it wasn't in the least romantic, but it was the closest he was ever gonna get to kissing Lilly Rush.

Raising himself to his feet, he grabs a bottle of southern comfort on his way the bedroom.

* * *

Scotty walked in the next morning just as Vera and Will headed off to talk to David Langdon. He sank down at his desk. He was replaying night in his head, did he do the right thing, should he have told her not to move in with him. What if he had told her how he felt, what would she have done, would she of told him she felt the same way about him. Of course not, if he had told her that he was in love with her she would have run out of his apartment as if it were on fire. He looked up in time to see Lilly walked into the department, he watched as she put her gun in her locker and walk over to her desk.

"Morning" She said cheerfully

"Mornin'" he replied

"We track down David Langdon?" she asked, thumbing through the messages on her desk

"Vera said that he and Will were going over to him this morning" he replied

"Oh good" Lilly said and she walked over to the breakroom, comming back five minutes later, she handed him a coffee.

"Thanks Lil" he said taking the mug out of her hands and taking a sip. She walked back around to her desk and sat down. She looked even better than she did last night, how is it possible she looked even more gorgeous each time he saw her.

"It's the least I could do, after last night" She opened her notebook to begin to write up the interview reports form yesterday "I spoke to Rick this morning and told him I would move in with him"

"That's great Lil" he replied, forcing a smile onto his face.

"I was wondering if you and your mystery girl wanted to come for a drink with us tonight?" She asked.

Yeah that's the last thing he needed, to be the third wheel on Lilly's date. Explaining why his fictional girlfriend hadn't shown up. "Nah, not tonight I have plans, maybe another night"

"Sure" she said "That'll be good" she pulled the case file towards her and started to read. "Oh by the way, I spoke to Frannie this morning, she is looking over the autopsy report, she if she can find something the ME missed" she said

"Good, if anyone can find it she can" Scotty said

* * *

Vera and Will arrived at David Langdon's house and walked up to the front door and knocked. He opened the door and stared at the two men in suits on his front door.

"Can I help, you gentleman?" he asked

"Yeah, Detectives Vera and Jefferies Philly PD"

"The Police, what happened?"

"We want to ask you some questions about Gloria Yates" Jefferies says

"Oh, she died back in 98; the police said she killed herself"

"We have new information that makes us think that she didn't kill herself" Vera said "Can we come in?"

David nodded and stood back to let them in, they walked down the hall to his living room and sat down on his couch. "So what did you wanna know?" he asked sitting down on the chair opposite them.

"We heard that Gloria left her boyfriend for you, know anything about that?" Vera asked

"Yeah, she and James spilt, a couple of days before she died, we were in love. We met at church she told me her boyfriend didn't respect that she wanted to wait till she got married to sleep together. She told me that she wanted to date someone with the same values" he said

"Did she seem depressed"

"No, she was happy, she didn't wanna die"

"Where were you the night she died?"

"She was gonna meet up with me later, she never showed "

"Did you try and contact her?"

"Yeah, went by her place the next day, her father said she died"

"Did she seem afraid of James?"

"Say that she thought he was a bit possessive, she was worried that he was gonna take no for answer"

"Did you hear him make any threats?"

"No but she was hanging out with her friends the day she was gonna break up with him, maybe they'd know"

"Do you have a list of names?"

"Yeah, I get em" he walked over to the dresser and handed them a small address book "She was hanging out with Louise Wallace, Katie Graham and Haley Jones, their numbers are in there, maybe they know something"

"Thanks for your time"

* * *

"Hey guys" Frannie said approaching Scotty and Lilly

"Hey Frannie" Scotty said

"I looked through your Vic's autopsy report"

"Find anything?" Lilly asked

"Yeah, the original ME missed the ligature marks around her neck" she said.

"So she was strangled?"

"It appears that way"

"So the slit wrists weren't the cause of death?"

"No, fact that there is no tissue reaction and not to mention lack of blood I am gonna say that the wrists were slit post mortem, my guess COD was strangulation" She handed them a write up of her findings and they thanked her.

"So, seems like she was strangled, it wasn't suicide, can't slit your wrists when you're dead" Scotty said

"Maybe we should go back and talk to Ernie, see if he remembers hearing anything the night she died" Lilly said and she and Scotty headed out to talk to Ernie.

* * *

Ernie answered the door and his face lit up when he saw Lilly "Detective Rush, so nice of you to stop by" he said and he frown slightly when he spotted Scotty "And you brought Detective impatient with you" he said and Lilly held back a laugh at the look on Scotty's face.

"We have some news on your daughters case Ernie" Scotty said

Ernie stood back and let them in "Can I get you some coffee or tea?" he asked

"Sure" They said in unison and they followed him into his small kitchen and sat down at the table.

"Seems like you were right about Gloria, Ernie" Lilly said as the old man poured them a cup of coffee and taking a seat next to her.

"Our ME found out that someone strangled her and then slit her wrists to make it look like suicide" she continued

"Someone strangled her?"

"It appears that way; do you remember hearing anything on the night she died?" Scotty asked

Ernie sighed and looked up at him "I think I remember hearing a creaking on the stairs but I assumed it was just Gloria comming home. Then ten minutes later I heard it again"

"So someone else was in the house that night?" Scotty said

"Then that person was the last to see" Lilly replied

"We'll be in touch Ernie" Lilly said and she and Scotty stood up walked out.

* * *

Kat and Nick headed out to talk with Gloria's friends and to see if they knew if James threatened her when they broke up. They all worked in a small cafe in German town, the three of them lead the two detectives to a small back room where they could have some privacy.

Katie, Louise and Haley sat down on the small couch and Vera and Kat took the seats opposite. Kat watched in amusement as Louise began making eyes at Nick.

"Ladies, you were with Gloria on the day she broke up with James?" Vera asked

"Yeah, we were out shopping and he called, he wanted to meet up with her" Katie said

"She told him that she wanted to break up that she had met someone from church" Louise added

"Did David take it pretty hard when she dumped him?" Kat asked

"Oh yeah, guy snapped. When she told him he grabbed her arm, wouldn't let her go" Haley said

"Did he make any threats?" Vera asked

"He told her if he couldn't have her than he'd make sure no one did" Louise said

"Is it true that she didn't kill herself?" Katie asked

"It looking like she was murdered" Kat said

"I always knew that she couldn't have done that, she wouldn't have killed herself"

"Thanks for your time Ladies" Vera said

"Detective?" Louise asked, looking over at Nick

"Can I have a number I can contact you on, you know in case I think of something" She asked and Kat turned her chuckle into a cough as Vera handed her over his business card.

* * *

Lilly left the department to go have dinner with Rick and as the others filed out leaving him all alone, Scotty walked over to the balcony and looked out over the Philadelphia skyline. The rumbling noise overhead signalled the oncoming storm and Scotty watched as the rain began to fall, two hours later he left for home.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

Scotty woke up the next morning with another pounding headache, he felt like calling in sick but he knew that they still had a case to solve and spending the day wallowing in bed wouldn't help. He dragged himself out of bed and looked out the window, the rain was pouring down and the city looked empty. After his shower and a shave he walked out the door, ignoring the brunette across the hall that always was 'coincidently' leaving at the same time as him every day and decided to take the stairs down to the parking garage.

After picking up a coffee and a muffin from the vendor, he walked up to the precinct and waited for one of the others so they could go pick up James again and when Kat walked in a few minutes later he didn't even give her the chance to put her stuff down before he was practically dragging her back out of the squad room.

* * *

"Is there a reason I am here?" James asked looking across at Scotty; he shifted uncomfortably as he was met with a cold stare from the male detective.

"We wanted to have a chat with you about Gloria" Kat said as she paced back and forth behind him.

James rolled his eyes "Would you people just drop it, the stupid bitch killed herself" he said in frustration.

"Well you see as it turns out she didn't" Scotty pulled out the crime scene photo and placed it on the table. He looked at it briefly then looked away "It turns out she was strangled" Scotty replied and he laid out a close up photo of Gloria's face "And then someone slit her wrists"

James looked back down at the photo and picked it up the photo "So someone murdered her?" he asked slowly and he looked back up at Scotty.

"Yeah and your our number one suspect James" Kat said leaning over the desk.

"What, no I didn't kill her" he said hurriedly as he turned to face Kat.

"She dumps you for the church guy, not puttin' out when you had been datin for nearly two years. That pissed you off"

"Alright I was mad at her for dumping me" he said looking between Scotty and Kat "But I didn't kill her"

"We have several witnesses that said you threatened her when she dumped you, said if you couldn't have her than no one could" Scotty said as he stood up and walked around the other side of him.

"Yeah I said that but I called her later and apologised, that's when she told me the real reason why she was ending it with me"

"And why was that?" Kat asked

"She told me she was pregnant "

Scotty snorted in disbelief "Yeah think I heard that one in Sunday school, the whole Immaculate Conception was it?"

"No, we did sleep together it was only one time and it was about three weeks before she died" picked up the photo of Gloria again "She said her father would never approve of us getting married and David was in love with her, she told me that she had to marry him."

"Did David every find out she was pregnant?" Kat asked

"I don't know"

"What do you think he'd do if he found out she was pregnant?" Scotty asked

"I don't know" he said again.

"Sit tight while we check out your story" Scotty said and he and Kat walked out of the interrogation room.

* * *

Scotty went down to visit Frannie, she re-ran the blood sample they still had in storage and confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Lilly and Will went to talk to David again.

"David we need to ask you a few more questions" Lilly said

"Sure" He walked back into the living room

"We talked to James" Will said

"He told us that Gloria was pregnant"

"What, no she wasn't" He snapped

"We have the test to prove it" Lilly handed him a piece of paper and he took it, his eyes scanning over it.

"So the she comes to when she gets pregnant, knowing that you love her and that you'd marry her so she could pass off the baby as yours" Lilly says taking back the paper from David and storing it in the file.

"That's not what happened" David said coolly

"Well then fill us in" Will replied

"I met up with her that night, she said that she broke up with him and that she realised she wanted me. She let it slip that she was pregnant"

"So you attacked her"

"I wasn't gonna let her use me like that" He snapped

"What happened?"

"We went back to her house I told her that I wasn't gonna be made a fool of and that I wouldn't marry her"

"How did she react to that?" Lilly asked

"She was mad, told me that would tell everyone that it was my baby if I didn't marry her, I snapped and before I knew it I strangled her, she was just lying there. I made it look like she killed herself hoping that no one would find out she was pregnant" Lilly wrote out his confession and then they handcuffed him and lead him back out to the car.

* * *

A month later, after another long day they were about to leave when Stillman stopped them, he wanted to remind them that the annual PPD Gala was that weekend and that he expected them all to be there. They groaned, Lilly never really liked going but she never really had anyone to go with, but this year she could go with Rick, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Saturday night rolled around quicker than they all had expected Scotty sat on his bed, staring at the suit that was hanging of the back of the door. He definitely was not looking forward to spending the evening with Lilly and Rick. He was seriously even considering asking out the woman across the hall just so he could have his mystery girlfriend on his arm, at the last minute however he changed his mind and went stag.

He was the first out of the group to arrive and he made his way over to their assigned table and sat down, immediately asking for a glass of southern comfort. He didn't have to wait long, Vera and Jefferies came soon after closely followed by Kat and Stillman and last to arrive was Lilly. When he saw her approaching the table, his mouth ran dry she looked gorgeous.

Lilly was wearing a long red dress that accentuated her every curve and the neck line was low enough to see her perfect breast that peak slightly above the material. Holly crap she looked glorious.

"Hey guys" she said

"Hey Lil, where's Rick?" Kat asked

"Last minute, he had to work" she said and they all picked up on the slight frostiness in her voice. She sat down next to Scotty and he smiled at her.

"No girlfriend Valens?" she asked

"Err, nah" he shifted uncomfortably under the curious glare that Vera shot him. The dinner was served and they ate and chatted and then the music started. As the rest of the gang moved off to chat with the rest of the guest Lilly and Scotty were the only ones left at the table. He noticed her looking at the dancing couples and he heard her sighing. Then he did something, something that looking back on it probably was a big mistake but in that moment he didn't care.

"Wanna...dance?" he asked

Lilly turned to face him "Okay" she said and she stood up, walking over to the dance floor. Scotty was still in shock that she had said yes, when Lilly realised he hadn't moved she turned around.

"You commin?" she asked and he stood up and followed her.

They found a spot on the dance floor and he tentatively placed his arms around her as they started to dance. Scotty was still mesmerized by how gorgeous she was, he tried to keep his hand on her waist and his eyes looking anywhere but on her body.

"Would you relax" she said amusedly

"Just ain't used to dancin' wit my partner" he commented and Lilly giggled she moved closer to him and his breath caught in his throat.

They dance for a few more songs and Scotty's courage building slowly until he could finally speak.

"You look amazin' tonight Lil" he said softly

"No I don't"

"Yeah you do"

"You shouldn't say things like that" she blushed slightly

"Why, were partners right, gotta tell you the truth" He said a grin spreading across his face.

"You clean up pretty good yourself" she replied and he pulled her a little closer.

"Do you know how many guys in here would kill to be in my position right now?"

"Scotty" Lilly turned her head away from him, the blush rising in her cheeks.

"I am serious Lil; you're beautiful, intelligent..." Scotty felt his heart began to race "Lil, there is something I've been meaning to tell you"

"Yeah"

"I don't know about you Lil but I felt over the last few years you and I have gotten closer"

"Yeah, I feel the same way Scotty, when I first met you I never thought you'd become my best friend" she said

"Neither did I" Scotty countered "That's kinda what I wanted to talk bout"

"What do you mean" she asked him, pulling back slightly to study his face.

"Well it's just lately I have..." he trailed off when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, mind if I cut in?" Rick asked

"Err, yeah sure man" Scotty said

"No hang on Scotty, you wanted to tell me something" Lilly said as Scotty's arms dropped from around her waist and Rick pulled her closer to him.

"It's not important, forget bout it" and before she could protest he walked back over to the table.

"Sorry I am late Lil" Rick said

"It's alright, I had fun" she said distractedly.

Rick pressed a kiss to her cheek, but all Lilly could think about was Scotty, he wanted to tell her something and judging about how nervous he was it wasn't nothing like he said. After a few more dances Lilly and Rick headed back over to join the others.

The Gala ended they went over to Jones's for one last drink, Scotty watched Lilly and Rick standing so close to each other and their arms wrapped around each other and couldn't help the jealousy spiralling through his body.

"Excuse me every one but I have something I wanna say" Rick said and a hush fell over the bar as he turned to face Lilly. "Lil, I know we have only been dating a few months but I have fallen madly in love with you" he said and Scotty saw his hand slip into his pocket and his could of sworn his heart stop and his blood run cold.

"Lilly Rush will you marry me?" he asked.

Lilly stared at him, unable to move; Rick was proposing to her, this had to be a dream. She looked into his eyes and suddenly she remembered what Scotty had said to her when she asked whether or not she should move in with him. That she should just take a chance "Yes" she said and he slid the ring onto her finger and the bar erupted in cheers and applause. Her colleagues and friends congratulated her; she looked around for Scotty in time to see him leaving the bar.

A/N: I know, I know but please don't hate me I swear I am gonna make it up to you.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

It was December, Lilly seemed happy, she and Rick were engaged and planning their wedding for later that month and Scotty was miserable. He had tried to get over her, lord knows he tried. He tried dating other woman, but he found himself constantly asking out blonde haired blue eyed woman. The only one that lasted a few weeks abruptly ended one night when he screamed out Lilly's name while they were having sex.

He went to Mike for advice, Mike told him that he should give up, that she was about to marry someone else and that eventually he'd get over her. He tried to believe it, tired to picture a time when they could just be friends, the trouble was every time he saw her, every single time she smile in his direction or laughed at one of his jokes he fell deeper in love with her.

He entertained the brief notion of transferring to another squad, he could go back on the line, he could be free, maybe then he'd go days without seeing her, wearing Rick's ring on her finger. No, that wouldn't work, because he knew he'd run into her eventually and all those memories, all that pain would come flooding back.

Like the time a month ago when it was just them in the department, they were all alone, working on a case. Chinese takeout containers scattered over the desk, Lilly was pouring over the original interview notes as Scotty was writing up the new ones. She looked up at him and giggled.

"What?" he asked in confusion

"You have sauce on your chin" she said and Scotty picked the napkin and wiped his face.

"Did I get it?" he asked and she shook her head and lent the desk, her thumb swept over his chin. Cleaning it of the plum sauce, he had thought for a moment as her hand lingered on his jaw that he saw something flash in her brilliant blue eyes, but just as suddenly it was gone and her head was back done trying to decipher the terrible handwriting of the assigned detective.

Or that time a few weeks ago when they were stuck in a car together trying to stake out a place their alleged doer was meant to be comming to. They'd past the time by telling stories from their childhood, Scotty told her about his uncle and how he'd spend with him learning all about cars. She told him about some of the good times she had had with her Mom, playing in the snow or cuddling up in front of the fire, begging her to read the velveteen rabbit for the umpteenth time.

These memories sustained him as he saw her with him; they made him feel like they were the only two in the entire world.

* * *

He woke up one morning and as he was making his breakfast he caught sight of the Calender, he noticed that today was Lilly's birthday and the day before her wedding. Scotty was planning on telling her today that something had come up and he couldn't come tomorrow, he decided that he'd tell her at the surprise party they were planning to throw for her, it was all planned out. They had gone behind Lilly's back and gotten Rick involved. He was just as keen to surprise her as they were and a plan had been hatched to get her to the tavern that evening.

It was Kat's job to get her there that evening and the others would meet her there. It took some organising but Jones's agreed to rent out the Tavern for the night.

Stillman had called her old lieutenant at North and got him to come, even managed to track down Chris Lassing, who was only too happy to come, having not seen Lilly since he transferred out.

When Scotty arrived that morning her saw her sitting at her desk and chuckled, even on her Birthday she comes in early. He crossed the room and sat down at his desk.

"Happy birthday Lil" he said and she smiled at him

"Thanks" she said

"How about I take you out for some real coffee" he said pointing to the steaming mug on her desk "You know for your birthday" Lilly smiled and shook her head.

"Nah, about to go to court, got a call from the ADA this morning. They need me to testify on the Donaldson case" she said, referring to a case they close a few months back.

"Oh, so you'll be gone all day?" Scotty asked

"Pretty much" she said standing up and downing the rest of her coffee "Think I'll grab a coffee on the way, the court house swill makes this stuff gourmet" Scotty chuckled as she picked up her bag and headed out of the department.

Scotty saw realised this would be his chance; he knew she said no presents but he wanted to get her something anyway. Checking no one was watching he opened her desk drawer and placed the small package into it

* * *

The day seemed to fly by; they didn't get any new leads on an old job so they spent the day catching up on the mounting paperwork. At six that night they left to head over to Jones's Tavern. Kat was meant to go pick up Lil and then take her over to Jones's under the guise of taking her out for one birthday drink.

When Kat arrived at the court house though, Lilly insisted that they make a stop back at the department. She told her that she needed to drop off the files and pick up some paperwork. Kat rolled her eyes but after Lilly repeated insistence she drove over to the precinct.

Kat pulled up at the front and Lilly hopped out. "I'll be right back" she said running inside and up the elevators. She made a beeline for her desk dumped the folders onto it and opened her drawer to get the paperwork she needed. She stopped dead in her tracks as she saw the small package sitting in the middle of the drawer, she looked around and finding no one around picked up the package. Opening the small card on top she felt her heart skip a beat as she read

_Lil,_

_I know you said no presents, but I saw this and thought of you_

_Happy birthday_

_Scotty_

She put the card in her pocket and slowly opened the package revealing a velvet box; her heart was thumping hard against her ribs as she opened it. Inside was a bracelet, nine carat gold bracelet with a three diamonds. Holly crap she thought this must of cost him a fortune, why would he be buying her a gift like this.

Still confused she stood up, and took out her phone. She was going to call him ask him why he was buying her something as valuable as this, she hit the speed dial and when she got his voice mail she considered leaving a message but figured it would be best if she did it in person.

Hurrying back down to the car she hopped in "Ready for a drink?" Kat asked

"First I wanna stop by Scotty's I need to ask him something" Lilly said

"Well Scotty said he would be at the bar to so you can talk to him then" Lilly nodded figuring she'd get him alone, demand an explanation for the jewellery and make him take it back.

But she didn't get that chance, as soon as she entered the bar, the shouts of Surprise and cheering shocked her. They had thrown her a birthday party; she looked around the room at the guests cramped into the small tavern and smiled. She spotted Chris Lassing and his wife, her old lieutenant from North and the usual suspects from First Thursdays.

Everyone wanted wish her a happy birthday or talk to her so she never got a chance to even see Scotty let alone talk to him. When she finally managed to fight her way over to the bar for a drink she spotted Stillman talking to his old partner.

"Hey Boss, you seen Scotty?" she asked

"Said he had to go home, wasn't feeling well" Lilly frowned, he didn't seem sick earlier, now she knew he was avoiding her. She managed to get away from everyone saying that she had to get home to get sleep for tomorrow and she made her way over to his apartment.

* * *

Scotty was sitting on his couch staring at the TV when he heard pounding footsteps and a banging on his front door; Scotty walked over to the door and opened it.

"What's this?" Lilly asked him holding out the velvet box

"It's a box" he replied teasingly, his cocky smile spreading over his face.

"I am serious Scotty, what is this?" Lilly said pushing past him and he shut the door behind her.

"I just thought you'd like it" Scotty said

"You can't buy me stuff like this Scotty" Lilly snapped and she put the box on the coffee table.

"That's yours Lil, I don't want it back" Scotty picked it up and tried to give it back to her.

"I can't accept this" Lilly said folding her arms across her chest and fixing him with her ice queen stare.

"Fine, I'll return it than" Scotty said

"Good" she said

Scotty watched as she turned to walk out of his apartment "Oh Lil"

"Yes?"

"I just remembered I can't come tomorrow"

Lilly stopped dead in her tracks "What do you mean you're not comming?"

"Something came up" he replied lamely

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked "Something came up? You're supposed to be my friend"

"I am your friend Lil" he stated

"Then why aren't you comming? I thought you liked Rick?"

"I do, I do like him"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Because it would be too painful Lil" Scotty said, his heart was pounding hard against his ribs, his throat was dry.

"Why would it be too painful?" Lilly asked taking a step towards him, Scotty ran a hand through his hair and turned around to look out the window, the snow was just beginning to fall and he thought back to a year ago, when he stood at this very window, trying to get up the courage to go to her apartment and tell her how he felt. This was his chance, to tell her how he felt before it was too late.

"Because..." he trailed off and turned to face her "Because I am in love with you Lil"

Lilly could have sworn her heart stopped beating, Scotty had just told her that he was in love with her, No, no, no, no, this couldn't be happening.

"What?"

"I said I am in love with you Lil" Scotty said and he closed the gap between them and tentatively raised his hands to rest on her waist "Real honest to god, head over heels, can't live without you love Lil"

"Don't do this Scotty, please don't do this" she begged as she felt the tears stinging her eyes

"Don't do what Lil, I love you"

"I am getting married tomorrow" She said pulling away from him "I love Rick"

"Do you love me?" he asked

"Please don't ask me Scotty" she pleaded with him, tears trailing down her cheeks

"So your still gonna marry him, even though I am standing here telling you that I love you"

Lilly backed up to the door and when she collided with the wood, opened it "It's too little to late Scotty" she said and she ran out of his apartment. Scotty felt the tears welling up in his eyes and he collapsed onto the couch, he did it he finally told her and just like she thought she would she freaked out and broken his heart.

A/N: Next chapter is the last chapter


	9. Chapter 9

A/n: This chapter is the last and it's much shorter than the others

Chapter 9:

Lilly got home and went to the shower, turning the water on full blast, she sank down against the tilled wall and started to cry, her best friend in the entire world, her partner and the one person she'd turn to when she was in trouble, was in love with her.

She'd thought something was going on with him, the way he always seemed to be looking at her and the way he touched her arm how could she have not known.

She picked herself off the floor and stepped out of the shower, wrapping the towel tight around her. She stepped out into the bedroom and was glad for the first time in months that she was alone. Rick had gone to stay with his brother so they didn't see each other till they got married.

Sinking down on the bed she stared down at the engagement ring on her finger, she suddenly felt sick. He has professed his love for her, told her that he was head over heels for her and she was about to marry another guy.

She tired picturing what it would be like, facing Scotty after she married Rick knowing that he was in love with her and not being able to do anything about it. She had agreed to marry Rick and she had to go through with that. She loved Rick...didn't she...he was a decent guy and he sure loved her but did she love him back?

* * *

An hour later and Scotty was drunk, he didn't know how he'd ended up on the roof of his building. He was sitting on a deck chair watching the snow falling all around him, taking deep swigs from the bottle of scotch in his hand.

"So this is where you are?" Stillman asked, comming up behind him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Just needed some air" he slurred and he spilt a little of the amber liquid as he raised the bottle again. Stillman took the bottle out of his detective's hands and emptied the contents on the ground.

"This isn't the answer Scotty" He said sitting down beside him

"I told her Boss, I told her how I felt and she just left"

"You told Lil you loved her?" the old man asked

"Yeah, I am such an idiot; I should have just kept my mouth shut" Scotty said standing up and swaying slightly, staggering towards the stairs. Stillman sighed and helped Scotty down the stairs and back to his apartment.

Scotty sat down on the couch and spotted the bracelet that still was on the table. Stillman followed his eye line and picked up the box, opening it.

"What's this?" Stillman asked taking in the delicate gold chain.

"I bought it for Lil, for her birthday" Scotty said "She gave it back to me though, said she couldn't take it" He sighed "Can you return it for me Boss; I don't think I could face it"

Stillman placed the box back on the coffee table "Sleep on it Scotty, you might feel better in the morning" Scotty snorted and lay back on the couch.

"Sleep it off Scotty" Stillman said and he left his apartment.

* * *

Lilly stared at herself in the full length mirror; the white dress she was wearing seemed to be mocking her. Kat came up behind her tidying up her hair, and straightening up her train.

"He's not out there, is he" Lilly said softly

Kat sighed and stared into the eyes of Lilly's reflection, shaking her head "Boss went by his place this morning, he's not comming"

Lilly felt the tears stinging her eyes "I screwed this up Kat" Lilly cried.

"What happened?" Kat asked as Lilly turned around and sank into a chair.

"He told me that he is in love with me, and I panicked...I broke his heart" Lilly raised a hand to wipe her eyes.

"Do you love him Lil?" Kat asked as she moved to sit beside her friend

Lilly thought for a minute and felt the lump growing in her throat, unable to talk around it she merely shrugged.

"Then you have to decide Lil" Kat pleaded

"But I am marrying Rick" Lilly protested "I can't"

"Lil, you have to make a choice" Kat said "You need to choose"

* * *

Scotty was watching TV when he heard a soft knock on his door, he had already had a visit from Stillman, his brother and parents, and this was probably Will or Nick.

"I said I am fine, just go away" he called

"Scotty we need to talk"

His eyes widened in shock as he heard Lilly's voice from the other side of the door. Crossing the room and opened the door, there she stood in her wedding dress her cheeks stained with tears.

"Lil, what are you doing here?" he asked

"I needed to talk to you" Lilly said softly

She pushed past him and he closed the door behind her and watched as she began to pace back and forth.

"Could you stop that, you're making me dizzy" Lilly stopped and turned to face him.

"I called off the wedding" she said and Scotty face fell.

"Oh Lil, if what I said had anything to do with it forget about it..."

"No Scotty you needed to tell me how you felt" Lilly moved closer to him "And I need to tell you how I feel"

"Okay" Scotty said looking her in the eyes

"I been thinking, all night I stayed up thinking and I can to one conclusion Scotty"

"What's that?"

"I love you too"

Scotty's jaw dropped and his heart began to race, did she just say that she was in love with him

"What did you say?" Scotty asked, not daring to believe his ears. Lilly smiled and closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. Scotty was shocked at first but began to respond to her kisses, wrapping his arms around her.

She broke away and grinned "I said I love you" she replied and he chuckled, leaning in to capture her lips again. Lilly's arms wound their way around his neck and didn't protest as he walked them down the hall to his bedroom.

* * *

Later that evening they were lying in bed, in each other's arms. Lilly's head pillowed on his chest, absently tracing patterns on his abdomen. Scotty brushing her arms his fingers and sighing contentedly.

"I never thought I'd be in bed with you forty-eight hours ago" Scotty said

"Neither did I" Lilly replied "But I am glad it ended up this way" Lilly tilted her head up and captured his lips in another kiss.

"I love you Lil" Scotty whispered against her lips

"I love you too Scotty" He smiled and flipped them back over as he deepened the kiss, finally happy that he and Lil were together.

The End


End file.
